Printer Software Not Compatible on macOS 27? Brother and HP Fixes

The printer worked on Friday. On Monday, after the macOS 27 Golden Gate upgrade, the Printers & Scanners pane says "The printer software is not compatible with this device", or the printer cannot be added at all. If the printer is an older Brother or HP laser that relies on a vendor driver instead of AirPrint, a printer software not compatible macOS 27 message is now one of the most common post-upgrade complaints on Apple's support forums, and the usual advice ("reset the printing system", "reinstall the driver") does nothing, because the driver is exactly what has stopped working.

This guide starts from the printer, not from the operating system. It separates what Apple and the printer makers have documented from what users merely report, shows how to find out in two minutes whether your printer can use AirPrint (which makes the whole problem disappear), and lays out every other option in order of cost, with a table, a per-vendor status section, a way to inspect which driver a print queue is using, and notes for offices with a drawer full of old printers.

Key Takeaways

• The likeliest cause is documented by printer makers, not by Apple. Fujifilm Business Innovation (Japan) wrote on 15 September 2026 that its Mac printer drivers need Rosetta 2, that macOS 27 does not have it, and that upgrading from macOS 26 or earlier removes it. Pharos documents the same pattern, with the same "printer software is not compatible" wording, for its own print client.
• Apple has not documented which component raises the message. The link between the message and a missing Rosetta is an inference from vendor notices and forum reports. This guide labels it as one.
• Start with the printer, not the Mac. If the printer is on Apple's AirPrint list, remove the vendor queue and add it back as AirPrint. That removes the vendor driver from the equation.
• If there is no AirPrint, work down the cost ladder: a vendor driver updated for 27, Apple's generic PostScript or PCL driver, Rosetta, a print server, a hardware adapter, a new printer.
• Rosetta is a bridge. Apple's release notes say all Intel-based software, except legacy games, will no longer be compatible with macOS 28.

What macOS 27 Changed, and What Is Only Reported

Four kinds of evidence are involved, and they carry very different weight.

Documented by Apple

Apple's macOS 27 release notes have a Rosetta section with two lines that matter for printers:

If Rosetta was previously installed, it is not automatically restored after upgrading to macOS 27.0.

Intel-based plugins and loaders may not appear in Settings or trigger notifications of their incompatibility. All Intel-based software will no longer be compatible with macOS 28.0, excluding legacy games.

A print driver is made of Intel-based plugins and loaders in everything but name. The sections of the release notes that this guide could read contain no printing entry: nothing about CUPS, printer drivers or AirPrint. Apple did not announce a printing change in macOS 27. What changed is the environment old drivers depend on.

Apple's developer page About the Rosetta translation environment says Rosetta "will be available through macOS 27 — as a general-purpose tool for Intel apps to help developers complete the migration of their apps", with only "a subset of Rosetta functionality aimed at supporting older unmaintained gaming titles" beyond that. It also says macOS 27 "directly integrates support for Intel binary translation, without needing to install Rosetta", but in the context of Intel Linux binaries in ARM virtual machines and containers. It does not say macOS apps or printer filters now translate without the separate Rosetta component, and the vendor notices below say the opposite.

macOS 27 runs only on Apple silicon Macs, per Apple's list of current releases and hardware. An Intel-only printer filter therefore has exactly one way to run on Golden Gate: through Rosetta.

Apple has also long pointed at driverless printing. Its AirPrint page describes AirPrint as creating full-quality output "without the need to download or install drivers". The CUPS manual pages for lpadmin and lpinfo say that models other than everywhere are deprecated and that CUPS printer drivers and backends will no longer be supported in a future feature release. This guide found no primary source saying since which release, so no date is given. It is a warning that the old model is on its way out, not a statement that macOS 27 switched it off.

Documented by printer makers and software vendors

• Fujifilm Business Innovation (Japan) published a notice dated 15 September 2026 about its Mac printer driver, PPD installer and direct fax driver. Printing may fail on macOS 27, including after updating from macOS 26 or earlier. The stated cause: the drivers need the Rosetta 2 module, macOS 27 does not have it installed, and updating deletes it. The fix is the latest driver installer (which offers to install Rosetta 2) or sudo softwareupdate --install-rosetta --agree-to-license. The page is in Japanese; this is a translation.
• Pharos, a print-release software maker, says in its macOS 27 upgrade note that macOS 27 removes Rosetta by default, that its Popup and Notify Clients include Intel-based components, and that without Rosetta the print job fails with "The printer software is not compatible". Installing Rosetta restores printing. It is not a printer driver, but it ties that exact text to a missing Rosetta.

Reported by users only

Apple's support forums have several long threads: a Brother HL-5370DW on a Mac Studio, a Brother HL-L2321D, an HP LaserJet 1160 on a Mac mini and an HP LaserJet M1319f over USB. A Chinese-language V2EX thread about a Brother printer and a German Apple thread about a Brother DCP-7055W describe the same pattern. The pages were read through page summaries, so this guide describes them and does not quote users, except for the error message.

Claim in the threads	Strength
The error "The printer software is not compatible with this device" appears after upgrading to macOS 27	Reported repeatedly; matches the vendor wording
Installing Rosetta fixed it	Several success reports (a Brother black-and-white laser owner, the V2EX poster, a DCP-7055W owner). Not every poster tried it.
The generic PostScript driver works	Mixed. Working on a Brother MFC-L2740DW, on the HL-5370DW (without duplex) and on an HP Color LaserJet CP2025dn; not working for the HP LaserJet 1160 owner.
Gutenprint works	One report of it failing on the LaserJet 1160. No success seen.
macOS 27 is the last release that runs Intel-only software (a community expert)	Consistent with Apple's release notes

Not documented anywhere this guide could find

1. Which component raises the message on a Mac that does have Rosetta but still shows it.
2. Whether a driver that is already universal can trigger it. Nobody in the threads reported that, but absence of reports is not evidence.
3. Whether Apple changed the printing stack itself (CUPS, the PPD filter chain) in macOS 27. The release notes do not say so.

Treat any article that states a mechanism for these as guessing.

The Printer-First Decision Path

Most guides start with the Mac: reset the printing system, reinstall the driver, reinstall Rosetta. That wastes time, because the right fix depends on what the printer can do. Work through it in this order:

1. Does the printer support AirPrint or IPP Everywhere? If yes, remove the vendor queue and add it as AirPrint. No Rosetta, no vendor driver.
2. If no: has the vendor published a driver that lists macOS 27? If yes, install it.
3. If no: does the printer understand PostScript or PCL? If yes, Apple's generic driver may work, at the cost of vendor features.
4. If no, or if you need the vendor features: reinstall Rosetta and treat it as temporary.
5. If that is unacceptable: put a print server, another computer or a hardware adapter between the Mac and the printer.
6. Otherwise: replace the printer.

Step 1: Does Your Printer Support AirPrint or IPP Everywhere?

Apple's AirPrint list

Apple's About AirPrint page links to a search tool for AirPrint-enabled printers at mfi.apple.com/account/airprint-search and notes that "Printer information is provided by each manufacturer and updated regularly by Apple". Search by brand and model. The page also says printers categorised as USB-only support driverless printing or scanning only from a Mac over USB. A model missing from the list may simply be unreported, and "supports AirPrint" does not mean every vendor feature (stapling, tray choice, secure print) is exposed.

Brother's macOS 27 pages recommend this route: "We recommend using AirPrint to print and scan. If your machine does not support AirPrint, you can download alternative drivers and software from our website."

Ask the network: the printer's Bonjour advertisement

A network printer announces itself with Bonjour. Apple's Bonjour Printing Specification defines the registration types (_ipp._tcp for IPP, _printer._tcp for LPD, _pdl-datastream._tcp for raw sockets) and TXT keys including ty (make and model) and pdl, "a comma-delimited list of MIME media types supported by the printer". The specification does not define the URF key AirPrint discovery relies on, but Apple's AirPrint payload documentation refers to DNS-SD records that carry URF support.

The ippfind manual page documents these commands:

# Print the service URI of every IPP printer found on the local network
ippfind _ipp._tcp

# Show the attributes each IPP printer returns (Get-Printer-Attributes)
ippfind --ls

# Only printers whose Bonjour record contains the URF key
ippfind _ipp._tcp --txt URF

# Only printers that advertise PostScript in their pdl key
ippfind _ipp._tcp --txt-pdl application/postscript

If your printer appears under _ipp._tcp, it speaks IPP, and a queue can be built from its URI without a vendor driver. If it also matches --txt URF, it advertises the key AirPrint uses. If nothing appears, the printer is USB-only, on another network segment, or the Mac is not allowed to browse the network. The last case is a separate Tahoe-era problem worth ruling out on Wi-Fi; our Local Network privacy guide covers it. ippfind is read-only.

Ask CUPS: what the Mac already knows

# Queues and the device each one is attached to
lpstat -v

# Destinations discovered on the local network
lpstat -e

# Devices CUPS can see (USB and network); drivers CUPS knows for a name
lpinfo -v
lpinfo --make-and-model "Brother" -m

Read lpstat -v first. A usb:// URI is a USB queue, ipp:// or ipps:// is an IPP queue (likely AirPrint or IPP Everywhere), lpd:// and socket:// are older protocols. The lpinfo manual page says -m lists drivers, -v lists devices, and that the command is deprecated.

USB printers

A USB printer does not advertise over Bonjour, so ippfind will not find it. Plug it in, open System Settings → Printers & Scanners → Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax, select it, and look at the Use field in Apple's add-printer steps. If it offers AirPrint, the Mac found a driverless route over USB. If it offers only a vendor driver or a generic option, treat the printer as non-AirPrint.

Step 2: If It Does Support AirPrint, Replace the Vendor Queue

Delete the queue that uses the vendor driver and create one that uses AirPrint. Apple's add and manage printers guide documents both halves.

1. Open System Settings → Printers & Scanners.
2. Control-click the old printer, choose Remove Printer, and confirm.
3. Click Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax.
4. Choose the printer from the list. For a printer reachable only by address, use the IP tab and pick AirPrint or Internet Printing Protocol - IPP as the protocol.
5. Check the Use field. It should read AirPrint. If it shows a vendor driver or Generic PostScript Printer, cancel and try again.
6. Click Add, then print a test page from TextEdit.

The same result is available from Terminal with commands from the lpadmin manual page, which documents everywhere as the model that is not deprecated:

# Remove the old queue (also cancels any pending jobs on it)
sudo lpadmin -x OLD_QUEUE_NAME

# Create an IPP Everywhere queue; use the URI that ippfind printed
sudo lpadmin -p NEW_QUEUE_NAME -E -v ipp://PRINTER.local/ipp/print -m everywhere

-p names the queue, -E enables it and accepts jobs, and -m everywhere makes CUPS ask the printer for its capabilities. To undo, delete the new queue with lpadmin -x and add the old one again in Printers & Scanners. The dialog's AirPrint queue is not guaranteed to be identical to the -m everywhere one, so use the dialog first.

What you may lose: vendor-only features such as accounting codes, secure-print PINs and some finishing. Check duplex, trays and colour options after switching. The HL-5370DW owner who reported success with the generic driver also reported no duplex, the same kind of trade-off. If the printer is on Wi-Fi and jobs sit in the queue, check the Local Network permission described above before blaming the new queue.

Step 3: If It Does Not Support AirPrint, the Options in Order of Cost

Every option in one table. "How long it keeps working" is the column most guides leave out.

Option	Works for	Cost	How long it keeps working	Source
Re-add as AirPrint	Printers on Apple's AirPrint list	Free, about 10 minutes	No end date announced; vendor drivers are the deprecated part	Apple, Brother
Vendor driver updated for macOS 27	Models the vendor lists for 27	Free	Until the vendor stops updating; listing 27 says nothing about 28	Vendor pages, below
Generic PostScript or PCL driver	Printers that interpret PostScript or PCL	Free; loses vendor features	While Apple ships it; mixed reports on 27	Apple, forum threads
Reinstall Rosetta	Vendor drivers with Intel-only filters	Free	Apple: available through macOS 27; Intel software incompatible with macOS 28	Apple, Fujifilm BI
Print server (Raspberry Pi or similar, CUPS)	USB or network printers with a Linux driver	Board plus time; one forum reply put the board near 35 dollars	While a Linux driver exists; independent of Rosetta	balena guide, forum thread
Share from another computer	USB printers, with a host that can still run the driver	A second computer left on	Until the host can no longer run the driver	Apple
Hardware USB print server with AirPrint	USB printers the adapter lists as supported	Adapter price	Depends on the maker; no macOS 27 data found	Apple says some print servers have AirPrint built in
Stay on macOS Tahoe	Any Mac that can still run it	Free	Tahoe got 26.7.1 on 28 September 2026; no end date found	Apple
Replace the printer	Everything	Highest	Years	Brother's pages point to AirPrint models

A vendor driver updated for macOS 27

Check the maker's page for your exact model, not the product family. Brother says a model not on its Product Support List has "no plans" for macOS 27. Canon has published at least one CUPS driver that lists macOS 27. Epson says its official drivers are compatible. For HP, no macOS 27 statement was found. The vendor section below has links. Download only from the maker's own site, never from a driver-aggregator website.

Apple's generic PostScript or PCL driver

Apple's documentation says: "If the Printer Software list doesn't include your printer, try downloading and installing the printer software from the printer manufacturer. You can also try choosing generic PostScript or PCL printer software from the pop-up menu depending on your type of printer."

Why it can work is an inference, not an Apple statement. A network printer advertises the languages it reads in the Bonjour pdl key (for example application/postscript or application/vnd.hp-PCL). If the printer interprets PostScript or PCL itself, the Mac needs no vendor filter to convert the job, so a missing Rosetta does not matter. The reports fit: a Brother MFC-L2740DW, an HL-5370DW and an HP Color LaserJet CP2025dn were reported working, while by the same logic a printer that relies on the computer to render each page has no language for the generic driver to speak.

It can work for laser printers whose spec sheet lists PostScript or PCL (PCL 5e, PCL 6, PS3), many office multifunction devices, and network printers whose pdl key shows either language. It probably cannot work for printers that list only a host-based or proprietary language (the M1319f owner reported that no generic PCL option was offered) and for most inkjets. Expect to lose duplex, trays and finishing; the HL-5370DW owner who reported success also reported no double-sided printing. Gutenprint, an open-source driver collection some guides recommend, was reported failing on a LaserJet 1160, and this guide could not verify whether a build compatible with 27 exists.

Reinstalling Rosetta

This is the fix the most people reported, and the one Fujifilm documents for its drivers:

softwareupdate --install-rosetta --agree-to-license

The softwareupdate manual page documents --install-rosetta as installing Rosetta on Apple silicon Macs, and --agree-to-license accepts the licence without a prompt. Fujifilm shows the command with sudo; Pharos shows /usr/sbin/softwareupdate without it. Then remove the printer, add it again (or restart), and print a test page.

Know what this buys: Apple's release notes say Intel-based software will no longer be compatible with macOS 28, so a driver that depends on Rosetta today will not run on the next release. Our guide to the ignored Open Using Rosetta setting covers what else the upgrade removes; the Rosetta 2 end-of-life guide covers the timeline.

The success reports are anecdotal: a Brother black-and-white laser owner, the V2EX poster and a DCP-7055W owner. The DCP-7055W case is instructive: a thread participant said Brother supports it only up to macOS Catalina, yet it printed once Rosetta was back. A vendor's supported list and what actually runs can differ in both directions.

Sharing the printer from something that can still run the driver

If the driver is Intel-only and there is no AirPrint, put a machine that can run it between the Mac and the printer, and have the Mac speak IPP to that machine.

A Raspberry Pi or small Linux box running CUPS. The cupsctl manual page documents --share-printers ("Enables sharing of local printers with other computers"). A balena guide from 2020 walks through the CUPS web interface: connect the printer by USB, add it under Administration, tick the share option, and pick a Foomatic or hplip driver, with PPDs from OpenPrinting as a fallback. It says iOS and macOS find the printer through AirPrint automatically, and warns it is impractical to have drivers for every model built in. Caveats: the guide is six years old, a Linux driver for your model must exist, and CUPS documents that driver model as deprecated too. On the LaserJet 1160 thread, participants suggested exactly this route and the original poster showed interest; whether it worked was not visible.

Another Mac. Apple's Printer Sharing steps: System Settings → General → Sharing, turn on Printer Sharing, select the printer. Apple adds that network, wireless and AirPrint printers need no sharing. The host must still run the driver (an Intel Mac on an older macOS, or a Mac on Tahoe). Whether a macOS 27 client then needs the vendor filters locally depends on how the shared queue is advertised, and no source covers that case. Test with one Mac first.

Hardware adapters and replacement

Small USB print servers that present a USB printer as a network IPP printer exist, and Apple's AirPrint page says AirPrint is built into some print servers. Whether an adapter supports your model is for its maker's compatibility list; this guide found no macOS 27 data. Check that the list names your printer, not just the brand.

If the printer is a decade old, the vendor has stopped issuing drivers and every workaround above has an expiry date, replacement is the only option with no hidden clock. Search Apple's AirPrint list before buying.

What Each Vendor Says Today

The pages below were opened on 4 October 2026 unless stated otherwise. Vendor pages change without notice.

Brother

Brother has a "macOS Golden Gate 27 Support Statement" per product family. The laser printer page (US) and inkjet page (US) say: "If your machine's model is not listed, there are no plans for it to support macOS 27." and "We recommend using AirPrint to print and scan. If your machine does not support AirPrint, you can download alternative drivers and software from our website."

On opening, every listed model showed the status "Checking", including the laser MFC-L2740DW. The laser list covers the HL-EX, HL-L, DCP-L, MFC-EX and MFC-L series. The HL-5370DW and HL-L2321D from the threads do not appear on it (the page does list the HL-L2320D). By Brother's rule, unlisted means no plans, yet a participant in the HL-5370DW thread said Rosetta restored printing on a Brother black-and-white laser. The page says nothing about Rosetta. A global statement page says most models offer support for macOS 27. Whether regional lists are identical was not compared.

HP

No HP macOS 27 compatibility statement was found. What exists:

• HP LaserJet - Older HP printers with macOS drivers: older printers previously used Apple Software Update and now have drivers on hp.com; macOS 11 users are pointed to HP Easy Start or Easy Admin; an HP Printer Driver v5.1 disk image is linked for OS X 10.9 through macOS 10.15; AirPrint is not supported on the listed printers unless noted. The LaserJet 1160 and M1319 MFP are on it. It does not mention macOS 27. Newer LaserJet Pro, Enterprise and PageWide models are sent to 123.hp.com.
• An HP Community reply dated 21 September 2026, from a volunteer (the reply says so), said LaserJet drivers on HP's pages were for macOS 26, updated 14 August 2026, and guessed an update might take "a month or two". That is one volunteer's estimate, not an HP statement.

Canon

Canon's Asia support site has a CUPS Printer Driver Ver.16.91.0.0 for the PIXMA G3000, updated 14 September 2026, listing macOS 27. That is one model from one regional site. Canon's macOS compatibility list for inkjet printers and scanners was last updated 23 January 2026 per the page and does not mention macOS 27. Canon USA's community thread about a PIXMA MX532 required a login and could not be read.

Epson

Epson's US macOS 27 page tells users to search their product and choose "macOS 27 (Golden Gate)" in the dropdown; it lists no models. Epson's Korean-language notice, read as a translation and undated, says its official drivers are compatible with macOS 27, names Printer Driver 13.45 (some models 13.47 or 13.48) and Scanner Driver 6.7.84.0, and documents two workarounds: slider controls in print options may need numbers typed, and Epson FastFoto needs a manual permission. It does not mention AirPrint or Rosetta.

Other makers

NEC's macOS 27 table for its page printers, updated 24 September 2026 per the page, separates "driver provided", "driver planned", "supported by OS functions" and "not supported, no plan", the distinction a large organisation needs.

See Which Driver a Queue Uses and Whether It Is Intel-Only

These checks are read-only.

# Queue names and their device URIs
lpstat -v

# The PPD files CUPS keeps, one per driver-based queue
ls /etc/cups/ppd

# Model name and filter lines inside a queue's PPD
grep -H -E '^\*(NickName|cupsFilter2?):' /etc/cups/ppd/QUEUE_NAME.ppd

The cups-files.conf manual page gives /etc/cups as the default server root, with configured queues' PPDs in its ppd folder. CUPS's PPD specification defines cupsFilter as "source/type cost program" and cupsFilter2 as "source/type destination/type cost program", and says the special program - means the printer takes that format directly. A queue whose filter lines end in - needs no vendor filter for that format; lines ending in a path list the filters your jobs run through. Vendor drivers typically live under /Library/Printers; the same manual page says the directory holding filters and backends is /usr/lib/cups or /usr/libexec/cups depending on platform.

Take the path of a filter and check its architectures:

lipo -archs "/Library/Printers/VENDOR/path/to/filter"
file "/Library/Printers/VENDOR/path/to/filter"

The lipo manual page describes -archs as displaying "only the architecture names present in a single input file".

lipo -archs reports	Meaning
Only x86_64 (possibly with i386)	Intel-only; needs Rosetta on macOS 27
x86_64 and arm64 (or arm64e)	Universal; runs natively
Only arm64 or arm64e	Native
An error	A script or data file, not a compiled program; check its interpreter

file reports the same in a sentence; look for the architecture names. To sweep all of /Library/Printers, use the loop in the Rosetta guide linked earlier, which prints every Intel-only executable in the printer, audio and colour picker folders. Use it as an inventory; delete nothing.

Two limits. An Intel-only file inside a driver confirms the driver depends on Rosetta, not that it raises the "not compatible" message. And the Print dialog's vendor panes come from separate plug-ins, so a driver with universal filters can still lose them.

The site's Rosetta checker lists Intel-only applications from the output of system_profiler SPApplicationsDataType -json. It lists apps. It does not inspect printer filters, backends or PPDs, so a clean result there says nothing about your printer driver.

Scanning on Multifunction Devices

If a multifunction device scanned through vendor software, expect the scanner to need the same attention as the printer.

Apple's Image Capture guide says to select the scanner "below Devices or Shared" in the sidebar, and that if a scanner or multifunction printer is missing from the list you should visit the manufacturer's website for software. Apple's scanning guide covers a scanner, or a printer with a scanner, "connected directly to your Mac or to a network". The AirPrint page says USB-only printers support driverless scanning from a Mac over USB. None of the Apple pages opened here names AirScan or eSCL, the network scanning protocols driverless scanning is generally built on, so this guide does not attribute them to Apple. What the sources support is narrower: if the scanner appears in Image Capture under Devices or Shared without vendor software, it is on a driverless path and macOS 27 does not change that on its own.

Vendors: Brother recommends AirPrint "to print and scan". Epson lists a separate scanner driver (6.7.84.0) next to its printer driver and says its official drivers are compatible with macOS 27. HP's support document on scanning in macOS timed out when opened, so nothing is claimed about it.

Test in order: open Image Capture and look for the device; if it is there, scan a page; if it is missing, install the maker's current scanner software for macOS 27. If that software is Intel-only, the Rosetta reasoning above applies, with the same expiry date.

Notes for Offices and Admins With Many Old Printers

The failure is quiet: the first sign is a help-desk ticket, not an error log.

Inventory before upgrading. Collect lpstat -v from each Mac, plus the *NickName line from each PPD in /etc/cups/ppd. Sort queues into IPP or AirPrint (safe), driver queues for printers on Apple's AirPrint list (convert), and driver queues for printers without AirPrint (plan). The commands are read-only and suit a management script.

Rosetta is gone after the upgrade. Apple's release notes and Fujifilm both say so. If a fleet script must restore it, softwareupdate --install-rosetta --agree-to-license is the documented non-interactive form, for Apple silicon only. Treat it as a deferral with a date, not a standard image component.

Push AirPrint queues, not drivers. Apple's AirPrint device-management payload lets an administrator populate a list of AirPrint printers on managed devices, macOS included, by IP address or fully qualified domain name plus the resource path, with optional port and TLS settings.

Print-management software is part of the chain. Pharos shows a release tool failing with the same wording as a driver. PaperCut has a support article titled "macOS Rosetta transition (end of life)", but its text could not be read for this guide. Ask the maker whether the Mac components are universal before the fleet upgrades.

Use vendor tables where they exist. NEC's and Fujifilm Business Innovation's pages show how fleet-oriented vendors report status. For consumer printers, Brother's "Checking" list is the closest equivalent.

Put an expiry date on every workaround. A queue that works only because Rosetta is installed belongs on a tracking list with the macOS 28 date next to it.

What Not to Do

• Do not disable System Integrity Protection. Nothing in the vendor notices or threads points at SIP. Turning it off lowers protection for the whole Mac and does nothing about a missing architecture.
• Do not download drivers from unofficial mirror or driver-update sites. A driver installs components that run with high privileges. One Apple thread reply pointed to a third-party GitHub repository of printer drivers for Apple silicon; this guide did not examine it and does not recommend it.
• Do not edit a driver package to make it install. A V2EX reply claimed changing an HP package's metadata works. That alters a package the maker signed, and it would not add Apple silicon code to the driver.
• Do not delete /Library/Printers or /etc/cups. That removes working queues for other printers. Remove a single queue in Printers & Scanners instead.
• Do not reset the printing system as the first move. It removes every printer, and the threads show it did not help here.
• Do not leave Rosetta in place and forget it. It covers the macOS 27 year only.
• Do not trust a fix that states an undocumented cause as fact. Claims that Apple "removed" printer drivers or CUPS filters in macOS 27 are not supported by Apple's release notes.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Rosetta is installed but the message is still there

Symptoms: You ran the Rosetta install, restarted, and the printer still reports the error.

Cause: Unknown. The vendor evidence covers a missing Rosetta. Possibilities include a stale queue still pointing at the old driver bundle, a driver that is broken for another reason, or no working driver for 27.

Solution:

1. Confirm Rosetta with pkgutil --pkgs | grep -i rosetta.
2. Remove the queue and add it again so the Mac reads the driver afresh.
3. Check the filter lines in the queue's PPD with lipo -archs.
4. Still failing: move down the table to the generic driver, then a print server.

If that doesn't work: Watch the log in the Console app while printing a test page, as described in our Filter failed guide, and search it for the filter name.

The printer disappears from the Add list

Symptoms: A USB printer used to appear when plugged in; now the dialog is empty.

Cause: Not documented. A printer that relied on a vendor driver may no longer be offered a matching one.

Solution: Use a direct port and another cable; run lpinfo -v (a usb:// entry means the Mac sees the device, so the problem is the driver); try the generic PostScript or PCL choice in the Use pop-up; if nothing is offered, move to the Rosetta or print server options.

The printer is not on the vendor's list

Symptoms: The model is missing from the support list, or the driver page shows only macOS 26.

Cause: Per Brother, an unlisted model has no plans for support. Absence is not proof that nothing works, since several forum reports show unlisted models printing after Rosetta.

Solution: Work down the table. Do not wait for a driver the vendor says is not planned.

FAQ

What does "The printer software is not compatible with this device" mean on macOS 27?

Apple has not documented the message. Fujifilm Business Innovation and Pharos both tie similar failures to Rosetta being absent after the upgrade, and many forum posters fixed it by reinstalling Rosetta. So the likeliest reading is that a driver component built for Intel cannot run, but that remains an inference rather than an Apple statement.

Does installing Rosetta fix the Brother and HP printer problem?

Often, but not always. Several people reported that it restored printing on Brother lasers, and the V2EX poster said it solved the issue. Fujifilm documents the same fix for its drivers. It is not confirmed for every model, and it only lasts through macOS 27, because Apple says Intel software will not be compatible with macOS 28.

Is there a printer driver for macOS 27 from Brother, HP, Canon or Epson?

It depends on the exact model. Brother lists models with a status page, and every listed laser model read "Checking" when opened. Canon has published a CUPS driver listing macOS 27 for at least one inkjet model. Epson says its official drivers are compatible. For HP, no macOS 27 statement was found.

How do I check whether my printer supports AirPrint?

Search Apple's AirPrint list at the address on Apple's AirPrint support page, or run ippfind _ipp._tcp --txt URF in Terminal for a network printer. If the printer appears there, it advertises the key AirPrint uses. For a USB printer, see whether the Use field offers AirPrint in the add-printer dialog.

Will the generic PostScript driver work for my printer?

Only if the printer itself understands PostScript or PCL. Users reported success on a Brother MFC-L2740DW, an HL-5370DW (without duplex) and an HP Color LaserJet CP2025dn, and failure on an HP LaserJet 1160. Check the spec sheet for the supported languages before spending time on it.

How long will Rosetta keep my old printer working?

Through macOS 27. Apple's developer documentation says Rosetta is available through macOS 27 as a general-purpose tool, and the release notes say that all Intel-based software, apart from legacy games, will no longer be compatible with macOS 28. Plan the replacement or print server now, not next autumn.

Can I print from a Raspberry Pi print server to a Mac on macOS 27?

CUPS can share a printer and advertise it for AirPrint, and a 2020 balena guide describes the setup with Foomatic and hplip drivers. Whether it works for your model depends on whether a Linux driver exists for it. No source tested this specifically on macOS 27, so test with one Mac first.

Conclusion

The macOS 27 printer problem is less mysterious than the error suggests, and less settled. Documented: macOS 27 does not restore Rosetta after the upgrade, Intel software stops being compatible with macOS 28, and at least two vendors say their Mac printing components need Rosetta. Not documented: which part of the system raises "The printer software is not compatible", and whether anything besides a missing Rosetta can trigger it.

The decision path does not depend on that gap. Ask whether the printer supports AirPrint; if so, replace the vendor queue and be finished. If not, work down the ladder: a driver updated for 27, the generic driver, Rosetta as a dated bridge, a print server, an adapter, a new printer.

Our guide to printer and scanner troubleshooting on Tahoe covers the vendor-by-vendor basics, and the macOS 27 day-one update guide covers what else the upgrade changed. For a Mac that depends on an old printer and has not been upgraded yet, the Intel app audit guide shows how to find every Intel-only dependency first.

Related reading: The end of the Intel Mac era · macOS Tahoe enterprise deployment guide · Mac model lookup · Compatibility checker